A clock project that never needed resetting, which spiraled into a full deployment system

Many people may be familiar with standard wall clocks equipped with backup batteries to keep them running even during a power outage. However, for this IT developer, the desire for an accurate clock that requires no manual setup became the starting point for an extreme project that unexpectedly brought in backend system management technology.

The initial concept was very simple: just wanting a timekeeping device that could sync and operate forever without human intervention or any time-consuming manual adjustments. Yet, upon actual implementation, the complexity of both hardware and software steadily increased to tackle the challenges encountered along the way.

From a small hobby project, the scale expanded into a complex automated system. It incorporated a code delivery process, or deployment pipeline, to control and update the clock's operation as perfectly as possible.

This escalation demonstrates how many IT folks often solve everyday hassles by building automation systems that are many times more complex than the original problems. This is reflected in this clock project, which features testing and deployment processes reminiscent of enterprise-grade software.

Source: Ars Technica